Hope
by Amazing-Anna'beth'1
Summary: He looks the same, but she can tell he isn't. She knows everything and he knows nothing. She knows he's gone, but despite the feeling that she should let go... she can't. She can't help but hope that she can bring him back. Percy and Annabeth reunion
1. Here but Gone

**Hey. So I've been kind of addicted to the angsty Percy and Annabeth reunion scene. I just had to write this. So thanks to some chocolate milk and various Coldplay songs, here it is.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO**

Annabeth stood on the deck of the Argo II. She braced the railing on the side of the ship. She was as still as a statue. Her every muscle was clenched with anticipation as she watched the horizon. It was dusk and the sunset was quite beautiful, but that wasn't what she was waiting for.

Leo stood at the helm. He was steering and occasionally shooting wary questions to Jason.

Piper stood next to Jason. They had been speaking of the best way to reunite the camps without initiating another Civil War.

It was eerily quiet when Jason told Leo to bring the ship down. Leo pushed a button and slowly pulled down a lever. It hissed as the ship lowered onto the water. Jason said to head straight ahead. The beach could be seen and as expected, the watchmen had alerted the camp, which resulted in Lupa and dozens of people standing on the beach in full armor.

"The first and second legion," Jason said grimly.

The atmosphere changed. It was like and instinct reaction for everyone to be tenser. Everyone must have felt the change because the other campers began trickling up the stairs and lifts: each had a wary expression.

However, at that moment, all eyes were on the tense girl at the front of the ship. Apart from her hair, only her eyes moved as they darted rapidly to each of the soldiers' faces. They wore helmets, but Annabeth only concentrated harder.

They waited for a reaction. None came.

Leo brought the ship to dock and they all could hear the door release below deck. There was a groan as the ramp pushed out onto the sand. Everyone began trickling down. Annabeth didn't move as her eyes darted furiously. They had dark shadows under them, from her lack of sleep.

"Annabeth… we should probably go down," Piper suggested calmly. The statue seemed to crack as she turned to face Piper. Those gray eyes seemed tired… yet fierce, like she didn't want to give up. Annabeth's back straightened. She didn't trudge or stand in shock. She simply held her head up and walked.

Below deck, all the campers stood anxiously in the hallway. They whispered to each other and glanced around nervously. They stood like nervous children at a school dance, waiting for the bravest to step on the dance floor first.

In a sense, they were almost exactly that.

Most expected Jason to step forward, but he didn't. When Piper stopped next to him, he glanced out the door at all of the Romans with a focused expression. He glanced at her and gave a shaky smile. She answered with a worried one.

Then, Annabeth came down the stairs. She glanced at everyone and continued forward. The crowd of demigods parted around her like Moses and the Red Sea.

"Should we put on our armor?" Piper whispered to Jason.

He shook his head. "Then they'll think it's an attack. We should go without anything."

Annabeth's hand rested on her knife. She stepped into the sunlight. There was a quick stretching sound as a Roman readied a bow. Annabeth head whipped to the sound.

Jason stepped forward, but there was a _twang_ as the Roman released an arrow towards Annabeth. The Greeks shouted warnings, but Annabeth was ready. She quickly ducked and dove off the ramp. She hit the sand rolling and unsheathed her knife.

Murmurs of "intruders" emanated from the crowd. There was yelling and the sound of weapons being drawn on both sides. The Greeks began to plow past Jason and Piper out of the ship and the Romans pressed forward. They glanced at each other helplessly as they were shoved around.

Annabeth hoisted herself back onto the ramp. She shouted above the noise. "Please, we aren't here to attack! We don't want to fight! Just hear us out!" She sounded so strong and commanding that the noise died down… on the Greek side.

Lupa barked and the Romans quieted. She looked at Annabeth with her yellow wolf eyes. She was judging if this girl was leading the group she expected. Her eyes scanned the Greeks. Their messy battle lines and orange shirts. She growled then looked towards the Romans intently, and a girl stepped forward. Lupa barked something at her then disappeared into the trees. The girl pulled off her helmet. She had long chestnut hair pulled back in a braid and a yellow bandanna. She looked at Annabeth and grinned smugly.

"Lupa said we should meet more formally." Her voice was very authoritative. "She's inviting you to come to our meeting room." She turned on her heel and her "legion" followed after her. She turned back right before she entered the trees. Her eyes scanned the crowd again. She saw Jason lurking next to Piper. Her eyes flashed and she turned away again.

When the other legion left, everyone turned to Annabeth. She was staring intently at the entrance to the woods. She was thinking of the way the girl said _Lupa_ was inviting them. Not the girl… not the first legion… _Lupa._ She was also thinking of what she was going to say at the meeting… and why he wasn't here. Where was he?

Annabeth looked back at Jason. "Well?"

His back visibly straightened. His regal features were more pronounced with his head held higher. He was _the_ Jason Grace again.

"Councilors only," he murmured.

When it was dark. The councilors ventured onto the grounds. There were no kids loitering around. It was silent. The cabins were all identical, except for a symbol above the door. They were arranged in a U and each had the lights still on.

The meeting room was in a large stone and marble building. Annabeth could tell by the design that it was built with use in mind and use only. There was no class or style, only sturdiness. They entered the meeting room. There was only one thing it. It was a marble table with several marble benches around it. They were engraved with Latin phrases. The Romans were sitting in their respective places. They glared disdainfully at Connor and Travis shoving each other into the room. Lupa stood nearby. The girl who had spoken earlier sat at the head of the table. There was an empty space to her right.

Jason stood at the table. He sat at the opposite head of the table. Staring the girl down.

It was an intense look, like she was rapidly asking questions with her eyes and he was just staring like he was trying to pin her face with a memory.

Soon the Greeks took seats. They left the seat at Jason's right open, but Annabeth didn't sit. She stayed by the door with her hand on her knife. The girl gave her a look but didn't comment. Annabeth knew better than to be in a vulnerable position when she was surrounded by a bunch of tense, ADHD demigods.

Piper was looking back and forth between the girl and Jason. She was worried, because she could tell what was happening.

"Hey, Reyna," Jason finally said to the girl.

Reyna seemed to crack. Her eyes flared. "Where. Have. You. Been?"

Jason blinked, but Leo answered. "Umm, isn't it kind of obvious? I mean we're all Greek and our shirts gi—"

Reyna glared at Leo, effectively shutting him up.

Annabeth decided she respected this girl.

Lupa barked at Reyna then turned and left the room. Reyna sighed. "Welcome. Lupa has informed us of whom you are… Greeks. I'm Reyna, daughter of Apollo, temporary Praetor of the First Legion." She shot a glance at Jason. His face was still serious and intense.

"We know why you've come, and we have a few… requests." She nodded to a boy with brown hair and green eyes. He stood and held a scroll to his side.

"I am Felix, son of Ceres, and I am here to voice the demands of Camp Legion."

He unrolled his scroll and cleared his throat.

"If the Greek's request is met to it's fullest, Camp Legion would like these things in return." The Greeks shifted in their seats.

"First, we would like the Greeks to surrender all of their battle plans so that we may trust them completely," The Greeks looked around at each other warily. Reyna nods for Felix to continue.

"Second, we demand that the Greeks surrender the Argo II into the possession of the Legion." The Greeks all frowned. Leo slammed his hands down on the table.

"You can't do that! We built it!" He yelled across the table. Felix frowned and shoved his glasses up his nose.

"It's a simple compensation. You asked for our aid. We complied and will expect payment."

"You think we're here because we to beg for your help?" Clarisse scoffed. "We're here because we have the brains to _understand_ that this will only work if we work together. If you don't cooperate you're killing the whole freaking world. You aren't the only ones who fought in the bloody war. I killed a drakon single-handedly, our friends, sacrificed themselves… heck, Annabeth faced off with freaking Kronos with a broken arm, and you think we're so weak as to ask help from a flower picking pansy like you?" Clarisse slammed her hand on the table to emphasize her point.

Felix glared at Clarisse. "We represent Rome. Who, if history is correct, conquered Greece." He turned his attention back to the fuming Leo, "We want the Argo II because we will use it correctly. It has the makings of a warship not a silly cruise ship."

"We designed it! We built it! We flew the bloody thing over here!" he growls at Felix. "It's ours! No. No! It's ours!"

Felix frowns at Leo. "And who are you to speak up like that?"

"I'm Leo_, _son of _Hephaestus,_" the curly-haired boy spat, "and I know for a fact that the Argo II isn't something that you can just claim. We worked so hard on it and broke our backs. IT IS OURS!"

Felix threw the scroll down onto the table. "Unless you want to wake up with vines around your neck, you will _shut up._"

Leo laughed and smirked at Felix. "I'm not afraid of plants. They _burn."_

"Leo," Piper demanded, "don't."

Leo turned to look at her. He seemed to debate with himself. The Greeks stared at him like a time bomb.

Leo turned back to look at Felix. Felix and Leo glared at each other across the table. They were pushing each other to attack first. Annabeth noticed Clarisse shift her spear into a more able position. She swore she saw money pass between Travis and Connor.

Jason and Piper frantically glanced to each other. Piper looked to Leo

"Leo, we'll talk about it later. Can you sit down?" Everyone could feel her laying on the charmspeak as the room noticeably calmed. Leo and Felix both dropped back into their seats and crossed their arms, each swearing under their breaths. They shot glares across the table.

Piper looked at Reyna. "Maybe we should wait until we're on friendlier terms to discuss this," Piper suggested in a dry voice.

Reyna nodded gravely. "Maybe we would even get through the list. Next time it is. Besides, my second in command isn't here." She looked to a thin girl with straight blonde hair. "Sophia, where is Percy anyways?"

All the Greeks heard Annabeth draw in a sharp breath. She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.

The blonde haired girl laughed casually. It was a sound that sounded foreign coming from a Roman. "The idiot said he'd be a little late. He missed the arrival, now he's missing the meeting." She spun to look at the door near Annabeth. She had dull blue-almost gray eyes. "He better show up, or owes me his grapes tomorrow at dinner." Her eyes narrowed. "Oh here he comes."

The Greeks all turned as footsteps hurried into the room. A teenage boy stumbled in. He was clumsily buckling the belt of his sword sheath. Annabeth felt her eyes prick and her breath catch with relief as he sat at Reyna's right. He continued fumbling with his belt then he looked up.

"What I miss?" he asked Reyna.

"We're actually just finishing. Thanks for joining us," Reyna said looking annoyed.

His black hair was as messy as ever, and his eyes were still the same shade of green she had been craving for months. Annabeth stared at him; he looked exactly the same, but the feeling that he wasn't kept her in her place. The way he surveyed all the new faces before him without a trace of recognition was completely alien.

Everyone watched his eyes sweep over the unfamiliar faces. Jason, Piper, Leo, Travis, Connor, Will, Katie, Clarisse, Nico… then he looked up at Annabeth.

He seemed surprised at first and Annabeth felt her heart swell. _He remembered. He remembered. _A smile broke on her face. He continued to look at her… and slowly his face changed. His brow furrowed and he turned to concentrate on the meeting. Then she knew, he didn't. The hope that had swelled inside her during the past months broke and she tried to keep her face passive. He was gone.

Annabeth couldn't concentrate any longer. She blanked out as Reyna talked about the camp's features and activities. As soon as a horn blew in the distance, she grabbed Piper's arm and walked out. Piper was glad. She didn't want to see Jason and Reyna's reunion.

They were heading into the forest to go back to the ship when a voice called after them.

"Hey, you're Annabeth… right?"

Annabeth stopped. Her face was passive, but her eyes looked so… sad.

"Yeah… and you're Percy." She said turning around to face him. It wasn't a question. She looked at Percy with a raised eyebrow, but her eyes looked pleadingly at him to remember.

The black-haired boy nodded. Then his brows furrowed. He looked up at the sky as if trying to think of what to say. He mouthed her name as if he was trying it on his tongue. "Well… um…" He met her eyes with a thoughtful expression. "It's nice to finally meet you." He gave a last thoughtful glance and started to walk away. Annabeth smiled sadly after him.

Annabeth watched Percy catch up to Sophia. She watched as Sophia punched him in the shoulder. He pulled back and pouted as he rubbed his shoulder. She laughed at him and he stuck his hands in his pockets. They laughed and teased each other all the way to the cabins.

Piper watched Annabeth. She felt bad for her, but she couldn't help watching Jason. He was currently reuniting with different people whom she assumed were his old friends. She couldn't help but notice that Reyna stood very close to him. They didn't talk to each other, but they gave each other looks as the others talked. Piper's stomach twisted.

"This sucks," she stated.

Annabeth tore her eyes away from Percy and Sophia. Her and Piper looked at each other with tired eyes.

"Yeah… it does."

**Hmm… I like how this came out. I don't really write in third person. Next chapter is coming soon. Sorry if anyone is OOC. I try my best. Bye!**


	2. Just a Glimpse

**Chapter two is a go…**

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO. And the comment about Celestial bronze is directly from **_**The**__**Lightning Thief. **_**So I didn't write it.**

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><p>Annabeth saw Percy eight times before lunch the next day. They were usually brief glances because she would find a way to leave. Six out of those eight, he was with Sophia. Six out of those eight, Annabeth couldn't even think of him as Percy. He was like a Roman zombie with her boyfriend's face.<p>

The fact that he _didn't_ actually act like a zombie is what messed with her thoughts. She hated being confused. When she was leaving breakfast, she saw he was laughing and talking with the people at the first legion table. The Romans were laughing with him. His personality was still infectious. Annabeth watched him for a moment, her mind mixing with memories of laughter.

The Romans had strict schedules. There was a large clock (Roman numerals of course) hanging above the big marble house. Annabeth learned from Connor and Travis's twenty laps around the lake that you had to arrive at activities by the first toll. She'd been lucky she'd come early to the canoeing lesson. She was able to get her practice in before the activity leader came. She slipped away to lunch before she risked adding another glance to her list. If she were lucky, she'd miss him at lunch too.

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><p>She made it and left lunch early. However, the first legion archery leader, a son of Apollo, hadn't been happy to find a Greek shooting arrows made of "that dirty bronze" into his targets thirty minutes before practice. He swore under his breath. Annabeth simply ignored him and shot three perfect bulls-eyes.<p>

"Stop," he commanded at her. Annabeth smirked and threw her knife at the target. Bulls-eye again. She grabbed her knife and set herself up for a different target.

"Stupid Greek," he muttered as he collected a few Imperial Gold arrows into a quiver. Annabeth hated being called stupid. It was like calling a sphinx a kitty, _completely _inaccurate.

Annabeth felt her anger pool in her stomach. She shot another arrow and watched in satisfaction as the son of Apollo's face crumple in annoyance. She really wished her arrow had landed on his face instead of the target.

He growled and swung his bow around. He readied an arrow and soon him and Annabeth were facing each other each with bows drawn.

"In case it hasn't clicked yet," he growled at her. "I'm the one who shot you while you were getting off the boat." He studied her face. "Gray eyes… You're a daughter of Minerva aren't you?"

"Athena."

"_Athena,_" he said in a mocking falsetto that sounded nothing close to Annabeth's voice. "Good thing Reyna isn't here," he commented. "She would've put an arrow through my foot if she saw what I'm going to do." He smiled at Annabeth. "But she isn't here."

Then there was a _twang_ and an arrow flew out of a bow… and landed in the son of Apollo's thigh. As he dropped to the ground, Annabeth looked past him and saw none other than Percy Jackson. He rubbed the back of his neck.

_Nine times_, Annabeth thought.

He helped the son of Apollo up, apologized, and said Reyna was coming to take his class. The boy grumbled but limped away.

"I hadn't tried to hit him," Percy said as he slung his bow across his chest again. He walked past the trees and into the clearing. He faced her as if expecting her to turn and strike up a conversation. "I'm just a terrible shot."

"You always have been," Annabeth mumbled and went back to shooting. She couldn't meet his eyes even though she felt him studying her.

"How would you know that?" he asked her setting up for a different target. His voice sounded curious but annoyed too.

Annabeth's bow lowered. She watched his familiar set up. His locked jaw and narrowed eyes were too familiar. She looked at him and spoke slowly, as she measured each word. "I… You…" she sighed and took her stance again, concentrating fiercely on the target ahead of her. "You're elbow's too low, stance to narrow. Yet you're second in command. You can't be a newbie, so I'm just guessing you naturally suck at archery."

He released his arrow and it hit the ground as if to emphasize her point. He didn't reply, but he looked at Annabeth's form. His eyes wandered to the tip of her arrow. "Hey what are the tips made of?" he asked.

Annabeth hit the outer rim of the target. She cursed and looked at him. "What?"

He stepped closer to her. "The tips of your arrows…" he said standing right in front of her. He reached over her shoulder and pulled an arrow out of her quiver. She stiffened as his arm quickly brushed her hair. If he were the old Percy she would've grabbed his arm and judo thrown him to the ground.

Or hugged him.

She looked at his eyes as they studied the tip of her arrow. He held it under his nose and watched the shine.

"I've never seen anyone here use this metal before. They… we only use Imperial Gold here. What is this?" he met her eyes and she looked away.

Her curiosity got the best of her. "You said they…" She looked at his face, but not his eyes. "How about you?"

His face looked annoyed again, but he glanced around. "She told me never to take this out," he muttered as he was fumbling into his pocket. He pulled out a familiar ballpoint pen.

"This is one of the only things I had when I… came here," he said to her as he uncapped it. Riptide sprung out and he handed it to her.

Annabeth held the blade gingerly. Percy had never let her hold it. Annabeth felt herself smile. Her cheeks felt stiff and she wondered how long it's been since she smiled like that.

"It's made of the same metal right?" Annabeth nodded as she looked at the familiar blade. Its shine was something she'd seen in battle so many times.

"Celestial bronze. Forged by Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, and cooled in the River Lethe," she recited.

Percy smiled faintly at her facts like he was hearing a familiar song, but didn't know the words. He pointed to the inscription. "Riptide?"

Annabeth smiled again. "Anaklusmos."

She handed it back to him, careful not to brush his hands.

Percy looked at his sword and at Annabeth's arrows. He recapped it and looked thoughtfully down at his shoes. His next question broke the comfortable silence.

"I'm Greek… aren't I?"

Annabeth stepped back and raised an eyebrow at him. She felt herself irritated that he had to ask.

_Yeah! You are! You're the leader of the whole freaking Greek camp too! Awesome right! You led our whole flipping army into battle! _she thought sarcastically.

But yet, in that question, she caught a glimpse of the dim-witted Percy she knew.

"Are you?" she asked. Her tone changed and she sounded monotone. She knew she couldn't just tell him. She knew he had to remember on his own.

Percy looked at Annabeth and they gazed at each other. To Percy, Annabeth's gray eyes seemed all knowing and full of secrets. He let his gaze drop onto the writing on her shirt. He found he could read it.

"It would make sense…" Percy said "My sword… how I've survived for so long without training… why…" he met her eyes again. "I look at your eyes and I think Athena and not Minerva."

Annabeth felt a flutter of longing in her stomach. She wanted to hug him and feel him kiss her hair again.

But at the same time she wanted to slug him for leaving her.

She turned away again and continued shooting arrows. She didn't face him. Soon the rest of the Romans came and a few Greeks and she heard the big clock chime one o'clock.

Annabeth ignored Piper's worried looks as she slipped away. She didn't want to see him talk to Sophia again. She didn't want to see the two sides argue, with both of them on different sides. She didn't want to see the looks of the Greeks as they watched him sadly. But most of all, she didn't want _him_ to see her eyes as they began to brim with tears.

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><p><strong>I hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry about changing the title... I think I like "Hope" better than "Believe". I think I'm getting better at portraying the characters… Comments? Questions? Random thoughts flowing through your head? I'm happy to hear them :] <strong>


	3. Almost Feels like Hope

**Disclaimer: I'm not a man. That enough for you?**

It was Friday, at lunch. Annabeth pushed her grapes around her plate with her fork. The Greeks all ignored the dirty looks being sent towards them. The councilors listened half-heartedly to Connor, Travis, and Leo. Piper spoke softly to Jason. He sat next to her, but looked at the First Legion table.

Annabeth glanced at the First Legion table.

The Romans sat rigidly. Everyone seemed to be there, besides the empty seat she was concerned with. Sophia glanced up from her plate and saw Annabeth. Annabeth felt a strong urge to look down, but she kept her eyes locked.

Sophia had Malfoy-fair blonde hair that was impeccably straight. It was pulled back in a perfect bun. Her blue eyes so pale, they were almost gray. She was thin and rather pretty.

Annabeth had heard that she was the head of the Venus cabin. The freaking _Venus_ cabin.

Sophia continued watching Annabeth. Her face was a mixture of curiosity and contempt.

"Annabeth?' Katie asked quietly. Something in her tone made all the Greeks look up. The sounds of silverware scraping stopped. Travis paused with his cup halfway to his lips. Leo looked up, spaghetti noodles hanging out of his mouth.

Annabeth felt her face heating up. She glared at Sophia with her stormy gray eyes. She stared back with her steely blue ones.

The Greeks followed Annabeth's line of sight to the First Legion table. A few sighed in understanding and went back to their food.

Sophia's eyes flickered somewhere behind Annabeth. The First Legion all turned to see Percy walking towards their table. Annabeth hastily looked away from Sophia and stabbed her grapes.

Percy studied the Greek table. He clutched his plate stiffly and looked at Annabeth with an odd expression. It was somewhere between longing, puzzlement, and remorse. Annabeth glared at the gold lining on her plate.

"I'm going to the arena," she stated, snatching her plate off the table before anyone could respond. She hastily dropped it on an empty table with a loud clattering that called everyone's attention to the angry girl.

Annabeth stormed into the arena. She kept seeing Percy's face flashing in her mind. His stupid smug grin when he said something mildly intelligent. His eyebrows all scrunched with worry like a puppy. Then that blank face she saw too often.

She set the timer on the catapult. It was set to launch a knife straight at her. She stepped back and faced away from it, her hands balled. She heard the click. Like she'd trained, she gripped her knife and swung her leg around to gain momentum. Quick as a viper, she ducked down as she felt the other knife fly over her hair. She lunged forward and her knife flicked out of her hand and impaled itself in a nearby dummy with a heavy thud

She glared at it, breathing deeply and evenly. The knife went straight through the dummy's head, right between where its eyes would be. Annabeth crossed her arms.

Her knife was sticking out like a sign. It was a constant reminder of how _everyone_ kept _leaving_ her.

Her chest felt tight and her face was hot. Her balled up hands shook as she snatched up her knife and lunged at the practice dummy.

She cut, slashed, and stabbed. It's stuffing flew everywhere.

"_Why. Did. You. Leave. Me._" She grunted, accenting each slash. Straw flew around her furiously. It fell softly to the ground.

She was breathing hard and her cheeks were wet. Annabeth furiously wiped at her eyes.

She ran.

She ran through the forest. It was quiet. Only the sound of her footfalls and pounding heart disturbed the peace. She felt like she was running from all her troubles. They were way behind her and she was flying past like a free bird.

Annabeth found herself at the beach. The sand crunched under her sneakers. She pulled off her shoes and socks and held them in her hand as she walked knee deep in the water. It was surprisingly calm. Her legs and feet felt cool and she felt better. She had left all her worries behind. She imagined that she was back at _her_ camp. Back home. She pretended she was just waiting for Percy to come with his towel and they'd watch the fireworks. For a few hours, she walked slowly up the coast and relished in the cool water as she waited for him.

But soon everything caught up and hit her like a hellhound.

There was a laugh in the forest nearby and soon a vaguely familiar girl's voice echoed to her.

"PERCY!"

Annabeth froze as the trees started rustling near her and she could clearly hear a boy laughing.

She took off.

She walked as quickly as she could without splashing. As soon as she hit the sand she sprinted up the coast to where she knew they'd left the Argo II. Leo was still arguing for a place _in _camp to put it.

She left the laughter behind and a familiar shape loomed nearby. Annabeth sighed.

It was the Argo II. It was damaged and needed repairs. Annabeth knew the two other Hephaestus kids that had come were working on the mechanics inside.

She hurriedly walked up the on ramp of the ship, careful not to slip. It was dark inside. The only sounds were the pounding of a hammer on a lower deck and the snoring of Clovis in the boys' bunkroom. She strayed into the Leo's command room. Luckily the door was open. Annabeth went inside and grabbed the plans for the ship and scurried out. She picked up a towel, a book and a few pencils from her bunk and hurried onto the deck. The sun was high and it was warm. Her bare feet stung on the hot wood and metal, but she ignored it as she laid her towel down.

She glanced down at the beach she'd just left. She could see two figures standing there. One taller than the other, one with black hair, one with pale blonde hair. The shorter one shoved the other one, but the taller one grabbed her arm as he fell into the sand. She landed on top of him. Annabeth felt her hands ball.

She could see them laughing. The girl leaned in closer to the boy. Annabeth felt her stomach twist.

The boy quickly jumped up and stood for what seemed to be an apology. Then he ran back into the forest. Leaving the girl sitting in the sand. Sophia sat there for a few seconds, before she stood and walked back to camp a different way.

Annabeth was debating whether or not to go down and skewer Sophia, but despite herself she was smiling. Something sparked in her chest again; it was the happy feeling of something not quite like hope, but very close to it. Annabeth touched her fingers to her smiling face and got to work correcting some of Leo and her plans.

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><p>The next week was a flurry of plans, repairs, and training for Annabeth. That spark she'd had earlier seemed to be shrinking. It left her irritable and downcast. She found Leo a good companion if anything. He would crack jokes as they worked and even if she didn't laugh, they made her feel a bit better. She knew he was stressed too and she hoped he didn't mind her helping out.<p>

The Romans had allowed the Greeks to take the Argo II into a large circular building that resembled the Colosseum. It was used as an arena of some sort, but the Romans allowed them to work there. Sometimes campers would sit in the stands and watch them work. Leo didn't mind, he thought they were admiring his handiwork. Annabeth thought the Romans were thinking more along the lines of "Let's make sure they do a good job, because that's going be our ship when this is all over".

Today, Annabeth and Leo were sitting on a platform that was suspended next to the side of the ship. Annabeth held the slab of bronze still as Leo drove rivets into it.

"Did you hear about the campfire later?" Leo asked driving in the last rivet. The platform swayed a bit. Annabeth steadied it with her feet. Leo tapped the metal to test it. It made a hollow tap. "Perfect!" Leo exclaimed. He twirled his rivet gun and made "pew-pew" noises.

"Yeah… I miss those…" Annabeth murmured. Examining the plans for repairing the prow. It had been damaged in a collision with a not so happy _ketos_.

"Well Jason and Piper have been bickering about whether or not they should invite the Romans." Annabeth stiffened and looked at Leo.

"They bicker like a married couple," Leo laughed as he motioned for Annabeth to grab the other pulley. They lowered the platform down towards the ground.

"Are they inviting just the First Legion?" Annabeth asked quietly. Leo watched her cautiously as the platform alighted onto the grass.

"Yeah," Leo muttered. Then, he blushed and added quickly, "but you know… uh… Piper's probably going to win the argument so maybe they won't come at all."

Annabeth nodded, but she felt herself wondering what would happen if Percy was there for the campfire stories.

**Sorry, this was really filler chapter-ey. I'll update reaaal soon. PROMISE!**


	4. What I'm Missing

**(Warning: This author's note contains Spoilers.)**

**So I know, TLH said that only Leo, Piper, Jason, and Annabeth would be going to the Roman Camp. (It's called Camp Jupiter.) For purposes in my story, I just twisted it a bit. Also I've been collecting some information, so Reyna has straight black hair and piercing black eyes and she wears a purple cloak, has medals, and is praetor of the 12****th**** Legion. WTFudge she sounds like a daughter of PLUTO and I made her a daughter of APOLLO… I'll tweak her appearance, but I won't change anything else unless you want me to**

**If you saw the video of Rick reading another sneak peak (part of Chapter 2) on Barnes and Noble, write "whirlpool" in your review :D It left a happy grin on my face**

**Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure it's not my name on those covers…**

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><p>Piper gave in and the First Legion decided to come.<p>

The Greeks had lit a campfire on the deck. Baggies of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers sat on the table.

After dinner the Greeks all stood and hustled to the Argo II. Sitting around the fire, they felt more at home then they had in weeks. Will strummed his guitar and they sang, "She'll be Coming Back from Battle" in that happy off-key way that is feels the best.

Leo sat there smiling trying to sing the words he didn't know. He sat on the bench next to Annabeth, who sat quietly watching her marshmallow singe in the fire.

Jason's stood away from the rest of the campers. The firelight didn't touch him. He was watching the torchlight of the camp quietly. He could see figures marching around camp in groups. Final rounds before bed he recalled.

"Are they coming?" Piper asked quietly.

Jason jumped, startled. Piper stood behind him. She had her arms hugging her sides. She looked edgy as she peered at him from behind her bangs. Her eyes seemed blue under the stars.

Jason bit his lip. "Yeah…"

He was actually quite surprised for two reasons. First, that Piper had let him invite them (which wasn't easy). Second, that they were actually coming.

Piper moved and stood next to him. He could feel her arm brush his.

Jason didn't move, but he turned his eyes back to the camp. He noticed Piper watching him.

"You miss them don't you," Piper noted quietly. She looked down at the grass below the ship.

Jason sighed and turned so that his back was leaning on the railing. He didn't want to talk about this. "It's not that I miss them… It's more like I _wish_... I wish that I could remember what I should be missing."

He glanced at Piper to see if she understood. Piper looked at him quizzically.

He breathed out slowly and looked at his sneakers.

"I feel… empty… like it's awkward to talk to them because they expect so much of me… They expect me to understand jokes and things… I guess you could say I don't know how I should react." Jason turned to look at her again. Her eyes looked green now. "You've probably seen it with Annabeth and Percy…"

Piper shrugged and turned to glance back at the fire. "I wish I have, but she avoids him like a plague. And if he tries to talk to her, which he doesn't, she'll nod or something but she won't strike up a conversation." She frowned. "At least they're not arguing relentlessly like everyone else."

Jason smiled half-heartedly. "We're in waay over our heads…" he laughed.

Piper snorted. Then blushed. "Yeah… but it's worth it… I guess."

She turned and reflected the way he was leaning on the railing. Her arm brushed his again. He glanced down at her.

Piper was glancing contentedly at the campfire where the other campers were finishing the song. She seemed happy.

Jason smiled.

After the song, everyone heard the deep chiming of the clock in the camp. The Greeks listened for the sounds and sure enough, there was a plunking as the First Legion marched across the grounds, into the coliseum, and up the ramp.

Heads glanced at Jason. He watched, oddly anxious, as the Romans plunked up the steps.

Reyna came up first. Her head held high like a commanding officer. The First Legion stood in their ranks around Reyna. Despite their ADHD they stood completely still. Except for the black-haired boy whose eyes darted around quickly.

Jason glanced at Piper who stared at them, brow slightly furrowed.

"Should we like… say hi or something?" she whispered. Jason pursed his lips then looked at Reyna. She was staring him down.

Then something clicked.

Jason strode forward abruptly and stood in front of Reyna. The Greeks all looked confused. Reyna was a little shorter, but they looked each other in the eyes.

Her eyes were a deep black... and they were angry.

Then, Jason raised his hand, palm down, parallel to the ground. It was an oddly familiar action.

Reyna stared at it and her brow furrowed. She met his eyes again, and then stepped back. Her head dipped down.

A couple of the Romans smiled at each other as Jason stood taller and faced the Greeks.

Jason felt all their eyes on him, and he suddenly realized how quiet it was.

Jason raised his hand towards the First Legion the way he had to Reyna.

"Dismissed."

They nodded their heads and pulled out of their ranks.

* * *

><p>Piper watched as Jason strode towards Reyna.<p>

She felt queasy, as he stood _right_ in front of her. Piper stumbled forward. No one seemed to notice as she sat next to Annabeth.

_What's he doing?_ She thought.

He stepped back and saluted the Romans. His voice warped with his command.

Although he told them they were dismissed, they still stood in a small group. Piper felt a twinge of understanding when she watched the way Jason looked around awkwardly, but she sure wasn't going to help him.

_You're the peacemaker_.

Piper blinked. The voice was soft, like a murmur.

_Remember your role, honey._

Her role?

_Peacemaker._

Piper knew the voice was familiar. Either that or it her mind was subconsciously convincing her that she could smell perfume.

_Mom?_ She thought, trying to test it out.

There was nothing, but the smell of perfume got stronger so Piper took it as a yes.

Piper stood up rather abruptly. Annabeth glanced up at her. She looked worried.

"There's s'mores." Piper blurted. She blushed as Reyna sneered at her. "I-I mean you're welcome to have some…"

Jason smiled at Piper, which made her embarrassment rather worth it actually.

Leo snorted. Piper looked at Reyna uncertainly. Reyna was staring at Piper with one eyebrow raised.

Someone cleared his or her throat and a tiny girl with curly hair stepped out from behind Reyna. She smiled at Piper.

"I for one would looove a s'more!"

With everyone watching she grabbed a barbecue stick and skewered a marshmallow. She plopped herself on the bench next to Leo. Naturally, Leo looked at her stupidly.

The Greeks all gaped at her. The Romans rolled their eyes.

"Hazel…" a Roman boy with cropped hair muttered.

Gradually the Greeks started talking again. It was a quiet murmur, and their eyes would dart at the curly haired girl and the other Romans.

The girl had short curly brown hair that resembled Leo's. She glanced around with a smile at the few Greeks who were watching her. She smiled at them then turned to the Romans.

"Frank! Percy! Sophia! These are dee-licious! Come over here!" the curly haired girl shouted. She shoved the rest of her s'more in her mouth.

Percy and the boy with cropped brown hair shrugged at each other.

"It's fine..." Frank mumbled, but Percy licked his lips and glanced at Sophia.

Piper hadn't noticed Sophia, but she was suddenly aware of her smug grin towards Annabeth. Annabeth was ignoring her but her knuckles were white around the barbecue stick.

Sophia turned to Percy and Frank. They looked at each other and walked towards the girl. The other Romans watched them, but

The Greeks watched them as they sat around the girl awkwardly. Leo scooted closer to Annabeth and Piper to give them some room.

"They're crazy," Leo murmured to Annabeth and Piper. Piper frowned at him.

"It's true!" Leo whispered. He furiously pointed at them. "Look they don't even know what to do with the marshmallow!"

Piper leaned back to look at them and Annabeth finally looked up from the fire.

"They can't help it," Annabeth said. "I bet they've never made s'mores at their camp."

Leo snorted. "Yeah, and I've never touched a hammer. It's a _summer camp!_"

Piper frowned. "And they're Romans."

Leo smiled. "Touché."

The curly-haired girl tapped Leo on the shoulder. She was smiling again. Her friends were glaring daggers at her.

"So is this like all we do?" she asked honestly. Leo stared at her blankly.

Piper cleared her throat. "Well… usually we have campfire songs and stories…"

The girl smiled. "Cool! I'm Hazel, by the way, daughter of Ceres." She shook hands with Piper and Leo, who were both smiling awkwardly. She turned to Annabeth.

"You're Annabeth? Wow… I heard a couple of my brothers and sisters talking about how you basically murdered two of your Mars… er, Ares… kids."

Annabeth smiled faintly. "Thanks?"

Hazel smiled at her again. "You're style reminded me of Percy Jackson. He's an awesome fighter... you know for a Greek, no offense. I went on a quest with him. You should talk to him! He mentioned your name to me, said you seemed familiar…" Hazel smiled wider like that was a great idea. She stood up quickly.

"I'll introduce you," Hazel said quite cheerily as she took Annabeth by surprise and wrenched her onto her feet.

"No… n-no Hazel I'm fine," Annabeth said tugging back as Hazel dragged her towards her other Roman friends.

Annabeth glanced at Piper for help who stared at her with concern. Leo seemed to be concentrating more on the other Romans and Jason, particularly Reyna.

Hazel smiled cheekily at Annabeth as Percy, Sophia, and Frank watched them curiously.

Annabeth kept her eyes on anything but the group in front of her. Jason making his way back to sit with Piper and Leo, the other Romans glaring daggers at the Greeks as they grabbed some marshmallows.

Suddenly Hazel tugged on Annabeth's arm. Annabeth turned to snap at her when she came face to face with Percy.

"Hi…" he said awkwardly. Annabeth nodded at him politely, but she felt butterflies. Sophia smirked and Frank and Hazel elbowed each other in the ribs and watched them.

Sophia got up. "Going to go grab some marshmallows," she smiled falsely and walked away. Percy patted the log next to him and reluctantly Annabeth sat down rigidly and didn't face him. Percy frowned.

"What's your problem?" Percy blurted out.

Under normal circumstances Annabeth wouldn't have gotten angry…whom was she kidding?

"Excuse me?" Annabeth said turning to face him. She heard Hazel facepalm.

Percy frowned at her. He leaned back from her stormy glare, but didn't back down.

"Why do you _hate_ me so much? Have you always hated me?" He asked her.

Annabeth was taken aback. _What did he say? _ She felt that tiny spark flickering like kindling, but she was afraid to let it ablaze. "What do you mean have I always?"

Percy scratched his head and looked down at her hands resting on her lap. He seemed to be considering something.

"Well?" Annabeth asked impatiently

Annabeth watched him. He was staring at her with a look of deep concentration. It seemed like he was expecting to solve a puzzle just by staring at it.

Annabeth had turned to listen as Will delicately tried to start a new song, when Percy reached out and tucked one of her curls behind her ear.

Annabeth recoiled and turned to stare at him. Her eyes were wide in surprise.

"I-I need to talk to you," Percy murmured. He was staring at her seriously.

"Why?"

Percy took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. He leaned closer.

"I think I'm starting to remember," he muttered.

Annabeth opened her mouth to answer, when shouts arose from the other side of the fire.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry I feel like this was really rushed, but I just wanted to put it up. I probably will edit it in a bit.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>So Jason's "Roman salute" was something I read on wikipedia. I don't know if it's really Roman.<strong>

**I'm sorry this took a while. I'm losing inspiration, and all the spoilers make me want to change my story to be canon. Argh!**

**I've been thinking about doing NaNoWriMo… any thoughts?**

**Also, for those of you who know who burdge-bug is… Have you seen that adorable picture on her tumblr where Percy is kissing Annabeth and she's all like rolling her eyes.?**

**OMIGAWD THAT THING WAS SO ADORABLE AND CUTE AND FUZZY AND SWEET AND AWESOME AND fjalsdkfjsdklfjaw!**

**Sayonara!**


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